EAA Compliance 2025: How to Keep Your App in the EU Market

Ahmad HassanPosted on August 15, 2025

4-5 Min Read Time

The Crisis Begins

"It was a regular Tuesday morning when Sofia, the product manager of a  fast-growing fintech startup, got an email from their legal advisor:

'We have a compliance issue. Our app doesn't meet the EAA accessibility requirements, and we may face removal from EU app stores.'

Sofia stared at the screen. She'd heard murmurs about EAA 2025 last year but didn't think it applied to them.

"Aren't we already WCAG compliant?" she mumbled.

Turns out—not quite."
 

Flashback: What They Missed

Back in 2023, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) had started making waves across accessibility and compliance communities. But for Sofia's team, other priorities took over: new features, aggressive scaling, and bug squashing.

When a junior developer brought up EAA in a sprint retrospective, someone said:
 

Team Member: "That's for public services, right? We're just a mobile app."

They were wrong.
 

So, What Is the EAA?

The European Accessibility Act (Directive 2019/882) is a legal requirement, not just a technical checklist. While WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a set of standards, EAA is a law and non-compliance has legal consequences.

EAA applies to both hardware and digital services across the EU, including:

• E-commerce platforms
• Banking and fintech services
• Transport ticketing & travel info apps
• Electronic communication (e.g., mobile plans, messaging)
• E-books and e-readers
• ATMs, kiosks, self-service terminals

EAA builds on WCAG principles but goes beyond code - it covers usability, hardware/software compatibility, and customer support channels too.

Dialogue from the Crisis Room

Dev Lead: "But we meet WCAG 2.1 AA! Isn't that enough?"

Legal: "Not for EAA. You also need to prove accessibility across hardware, software, and customer service. It's not just about code."

QA Lead: "What about our iOS and Android builds?"

Legal: "Both need to support assistive tech. Orientation lock, touch targets, color contrast, and voiceover navigation all matter."

PM (Sofia): "We should've prepared..."

How You Can Prepare

Here's what Sofia's team wished they had done:

✅ Conducted a full mobile and web accessibility audit

✅ Evaluated third-party services (chat, payment, embedded tools)

✅ Documented accessibility statements for every product

✅ Trained teams on EAA-specific compliance

✅ Validated UI/UX compatibility with assistive technologies

When Do You Need to Comply?

EAA compliance isn't one-size-fits-all. It depends on when and how your product or service enters or evolves in the EU market:

New Products and Services (Post-June 28, 2025)

Products launched after June 28, 2025 must comply with EAA immediately.

Crisis Room Dialogue:

Legal: "If you launch a new app or service after June 28, 2025, it must meet EAA standards from day one – no exceptions."

Dev Lead: "Even a new Android build with a small feature?"

Legal: "Yes. If it changes the functionality, it counts."

Existing Products (Before June 28, 2025)

You get a grace period – until June 28, 2030 – but only for the current state of your app or service.

Crisis Room Dialogue:

PM (Sofia): "We launched before 2025. We're safe, right?"

Legal: "Only if you don't add new features. Existing builds are allowed to operate, but not expand without compliance."

QA: "No redesigns, no new features – got it."

New Features After 2025

Any new feature, major update, or model revision after June 28, 2025, will be treated as a new service and must fully comply with the EAA.

Crisis Room Dialogue:

Dev Lead: "What if we add dark mode or a new sign-up flow?"

Legal: "Then that part must meet EAA standards. You're adding a 'new service.'"

PM (Sofia): "That means we need a compliance checklist in every sprint."

Final Takeaway

If you're:

• launching anything new post-June 28, 2025
• updating or enhancing features in existing products
• relying on third-party services for your platform

EAA compliance is not optional.

Make accessibility a crucial part of your product lifecycle – not a legal afterthought.